Muhammad completes Hegira - Sep 24, 622 - HISTORY.com Muhammad completes Hegira Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 622, the prophet Muhammad completes his Hegira, or “flight,” from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. In Medina, Muhammad set about building the followers of his religion–Islam–into an organized community and Arabian power. The Hegira would later mark the beginning (year 1) of the Muslim calendar. Muhammad, one of the most influential religious and political leaders in history, was born in Mecca around 570. His father died before he was born, and Muhammad was put under the care of his grandfather, head of the prestigious Hashim clan. His mother died when he was six, and his grandfather when he was eight, leaving him under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new head of the clan. When he was 25, Muhammad married a wealthy widow 15 years his senior. He lived the next 15 years as a merchant, and his wife gave birth to six children: two sons, who died in childhood, and four daughters.

From time to time, Muhammad spent nights in a cave in Mount Hira north of Mecca, ruminating on the social ills of the city. Around 610, he had a vision in the cave in which he heard the voice of a majestic being, later identified as the angel Gabriel, say to him, “You are the Messenger of God.” Thus began a lifetime of religious revelations, which he and others collected as the Qur’an, or Koran. Muhammad regarded himself as the last prophet of the Judaic-Christian tradition, and he adopted aspects of these older religions’ theologies while introducing new doctrines. Muhammad’s monotheistic religion came to be called Islam, meaning “surrender [to God],” and its followers were Muslims, meaning “those who have surrendered.” His inspired teachings would bring unity to the Arabian peninsula, an event that had sweeping consequences for the rest of the world. By 615, Muhammad had gained about 100 converts in Mecca.

He spoke out against rich merchants, who he criticized as immoral in their greed, and he denounced the worshipping of idols and multiple gods, saying, “There is no god but God.” City leaders became hostile to him, and in 619 his uncle Abu Talib died and was succeeded as head of the Hashim clan by another one of Muhammad’s uncles, Abu Lahib. Abu Lahib refused to protect Muhammad, and persecution of the prophet and his Muslims increased. In the summer of 621, an entourage of 12 men came to Mecca from Medina, an oasis community 200 miles to the north. They were ostensibly making a pilgrimage to Mecca’s pagan shrines, but they had actually come to meet with Muhammad and profess themselves as Muslims. In 622, a larger group of converts from Medina came to Mecca and took an oath to Muhammad to defend him as their own kin. Muhammad immediately encouraged his Meccan followers to make their way to Medina in small groups. When city authorities learned that the Muslims had begun an exodus, they plotted to have the prophet killed.

Under this threat, Muhammad slipped away unnoticed with a chief disciple and made his way to Medina, using unfrequented paths. He completed the celebrated Hegira (Hijrah in uncorrupted Arabic) on September 24, 622. The history of Islam had begun. At Medina, Muhammad built a theocratic state and led raids on trading caravans from Mecca. Attempts by Meccan armies to defeat the Muslim forces failed, and several leading Meccans immigrated to Medina and became Muslims. Muhammad later become more conciliatory to Mecca, and in 629 he was allowed to lead a pilgrimage there in exchange for a peace treaty. Shortly after, he was attacked by allies of the Meccans, and Muhammad denounced the treaty. In January 630, he returned to his birthplace with 10,000 men, and the Meccans swore allegiance to its Muslim conquerors. He was now the strongest man in Arabia. During the next few years, most of the peninsula’s disparate Arab tribes came to him to ask for alliance and to convert to his religion.

By his death, on June 8, 632, Muhammad was the effective ruler of most of Arabia, and his rapidly growing empire was poised for expansion into Syria and Iraq. Within 20 years, the Byzantine and Persian empires had fallen to the prophet’s successors, and during the next two centuries vast Arab conquests continued. The Islamic empire grew into one of the largest the world has ever seen, stretching from India, across the Middle East and Africa, and up through Western Europe’s Iberian peninsula. The spread of Islam continued after the fragmentation of the Arab empire, and many societies in Africa and Asia voluntarily adopted Muhammad’s religion. Today, Islam is the world’s second-largest religion. Related Videos Hegira: Muhammad's Flight to Medina Hegira: Muhammad's Flight to Medina On This Site  More on Muhammad The hegira was the immigration of Muhammad to Medina from Mecca in 622. Muhammad was 25 when he married Khadija and gained a good amount of money in Mecca. He was also well respected within the Meccan religious community. For 15 years, this did not change.

But when he was 40, Muhammad heard the word of God while on a retreat in the hills outside Mecca. The angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and told him that he was God's chosen messenger. Further, Muhammad received his first revelation from God. When Muhammad told Khadij, his wife, what he had learned, she converted to Islam. Muhammad received revelations again and again, and he began to preach the new religion. The first audiences were his family and friends. Then, he started speaking in public. At first, Muhammad was largely ignored. But as his following and respect grew, the religious leaders in Mecca tried to discourage Muhammad from preaching this new religion. The threat of violence led Muhammad to flee Mecca. While his faith and following were growing, word was spreading of this new religion and its prophet. Tribes of people living in the city of Yathrib, about 200 miles north of Mecca, invited Muhammad to live with them. It must have been difficult for Muhammad to leave his home, but leave he did. He fled from Mecca in the middle of the night. It was the hegira. The year was 622.

The name of the city of Yathrib was changed to Medina, "the city of the prophet." Muhammad's following grew ever larger. Word of his popularity reached Mecca and elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. Many people embraced the new religion; many others did not. Fighting broke out. The fighting lasted for several years, until 630, when the forces of Muhammad and Medina defeated the forces of Mecca. The message and mission of Islam now spread more quickly than ever. Muhammad died in 632, but not before the whole of the Arabian Peninsula was united in devotion to Islam. What began as a desperate dash to freedom in the middle of the night had become a powerful religious movement that would soon claim followers around the globe. Muhammad and the Faith of Islam [ushistory.org] 4i. Muhammad and the Faith of Islam courtesy Muslim Students Association, University of Southern California This verse from the Qur'an, originally written in Arabic, translates "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" (Qur'an 48:29) A man meditating alone in a cave near Mecca received a religious vision. This vision laid the foundations for a new religion.

The year was 610 and the man's name was Muhammad. And the belief system that arose from Muhammad's ideas became the basis of one of the world's most widely practiced religions: Islam. Muhammad was born around 570 in the city of Mecca, located on the Arabian Peninsula. Both of his parents died before Muhammad was six and he was raised by his grandfather and uncle. His family belonged to a poor clan that was active in Mecca politics. Following the traditions of wealthy families, he spent part of his childhood living with a Bedouin family. Bedouins led fairly isolated lives as nomadic herders in the harsh Arabian desert. Muhammad's experiences among these people most likely had a strong influence on the development of Islam. In his twenties, Muhammad began working as a merchant and soon married his employer, a rich woman named Khadijah. Over the next 20 years he became a wealthy and respected trader, traveling throughout the Middle East. He and his wife had six children — two boys (who did not live into adulthood) and four girls. By the time he was 40, he began having religious visions that would change his life. This is prophet Muhammad's mosque in Medina.

A Revelation of Faith While meditating in a cave on Mount Hira, Muhammad had a revelation. He came to believe that he was called on by God to be a prophet and teacher of a new faith, Islam, which means literally "submission." This new faith incorporated aspects of Judaism and Christianity. It respected the holy books of these religions and its great leaders and prophets — Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others. Muhammad called Abraham "Khalil" ("God's friend") and identified him as Islam's ancient patriarch. Islam traces its heritage through Abraham's son Ishmael. Muhammad believed that he himself was God's final prophet. Central to Islamic beliefs are the Five Pillars of Faith, which all followers of Islam — called Muslims — must follow:: There is only one universal God: Allah. Followers of Islam (Muslims) are expected to pray five times each day while facing Mecca. All Muslims are expected to pay a yearly tax that is mostly intended to help the poor and needy. For the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims must not eat, smoke, drink, or have sexual relations from sunrise to sunset. All able Muslims must make a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca at least once in their lifetimes.

The Kaaba Mecca houses Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, which was believed to have been built for Yahweh by Abraham and his son Ishmael. Islam spread at almost Internet-like speed, encompassing much of the former territories of the ancient Near East, North Africa, and Spain. Muhammad's message was especially well received by the poor and slaves. But many people were opposed to his message. This opposition only seemed to make him more determined. After years of publicly promoting his ideas, he became so disliked that some began plotting his murder. From Mecca to Medina and Back In 622, fearing for his life, Muhammad fled to the town of Medina. This flight from Mecca to Medina became known as the Hegira, Arabic for "flight." The Muslim calendar begins on this year. In Medina, the local people welcomed Muhammad and his followers. There, Muhammad built the first mosque, or Islamic temple, and began to work to separate Islam from Judaism and Christianity, which had originally influenced him. Whereas his followers had originally prayed while facing toward Jerusalem, he now had them face toward Mecca. Muhammad continued to have revelations from Allah.

The ideas from these revelations formed the basis of a poetic text called the Koran, which contains the fundamental ideas of Islam. Muhammad fought a number of battles against the people of Mecca. In 629, Muhammad returned to Mecca with an army of 1500 converts to Islam and entered the city unopposed and without bloodshed. Before his death two years later, he forcefully converted most of the Arabian Peninsula to his new faith and built a small empire. Jihad Belief in jihad is a common thread to many Islamic sects. Although the exact meaning of the Arabic is difficult to express in English, jihad is most accurately translated as "struggle." For most Muslims, jihad is a personal struggle against evil. The holy battles of this spiritual struggle are fought inside Muslims' minds and souls. Sometimes, the struggle can take the form of a physical war against non-believers. Although this kind of jihad is referred to in English as a "holy war," most Muslims believe there is nothing holy about war and that wars should only be fought against oppressors and aggressors. A minority of Muslims, however, places great importance on holy war jihads. This minority feels that Muslims must wage war against all nonbelievers.

It is this conception of jihad that inspires Islamic extremist terrorism. Unfortunately, due to media coverage, this is the interpretation of jihad that most Westerners are familiar with. It should be reiterated that mainstream Islam is peaceful and rejects the idea of unprovoked war. Although the concept of jihad is widespread, it has not been accepted by the general Islamic community as one of the Pillars of Islam. Unfortunately, Muhammad had not designated a successor. The struggle over leadership that followed his death has divided Muslims to this day, creating a division in Islam between the Sunnis and Shiites. Despite these problems, a vast Islamic empire was created over the next 12 centuries that would build a base of worshipers unrivaled by any other religion. Hegira | Article about Hegira by The Free Dictionary Hegira | Article about Hegira by The Free Dictionary or Hejira (both: hĭjī`rə, hĕj`ərə) [Ar.,=Hijra=breaking off of relations], the departure of the prophet Muhammad Muhammad [Arab.,=praised], 570?–632, the name of the Prophet of Islam, one of the great figures of history, b. Mecca.

Early Life Muhammad was the son of Abdallah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and his wife Amina, both of the Hashim clan of the dominant Kuraish (Quraysh) ..... Click the link for more information. from Mecca in Sept., 622. Muhammad was a monotheist and preached against the polytheism of the Meccan religion. This aroused the hostility of the merchant leaders of his native city, who derived much of their wealth from pilgrimages to Mecca and its surrounding cities. Forced to flee from his enemies, Muhammad went to Yathrib (later renamed Medina Medina , Arabic Medinat an-Nabi [city of the Prophet] or Madinat Rasul Allah [city of the apostle of Allah], city (1993 pop. 608,226), Hejaz, W Saudi Arabia. It is situated c. ..... Click the link for more information. ), where he became ruler. The Muslim era is dated from the first day (July 16, 622, in the Western calendar) of the lunar year in which the Hegira took place, and the abbreviation A.H. is used with that year (A.H.

1) and subsequent years. Hegira the emigration of Muhammad and his followers (muhajirun) from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina), which Muslim tradition dates at Sept. 8–21 (or 24), 622. During the reign of the caliph Umar I (634–44), the year of the Hegira was proclaimed the first year in the Muslim era; hence, the Muslim era is also called the Hegira. Calendars of the lunar Hegira are used in many countries of the Near and Middle East and in certain other countries; calendars of the solar Hegira are used in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, and elsewhere. When converted to the Gregorian system, the beginning of the lunar Hegira corresponds to July 16, 622, and that of the solar Hegira to Mar. 20–21, 622, the vernal equinox.

The Muslim lunar year contains 354 days, and the distribution of days by month in the Hegira calendars differs from the distribution in the Gregorian calendar (used virtually throughout the world), so that the translation of dates from the Hegira to the Gregorian system and vice versa requires special formulas and tables. For example, the year 1976 of the Gregorian calendar corresponds to 1396/1397 of the lunar Hegira and to 1355/1356 of the solar Hegira. REFERENCES Interesting People - Muhammad Interesting People "Ascent of the Prophet to Heaven" (Persian, c.1550) Islamic tradition holds that images of religious figures encourage idolatry and, hence, detract from the proper worship of Allah. For this reason, you will find few paintings or drawings of Muhammad. In the well-known painting above, the face of the principal figure is not shown. In this way, the painting symbolizes, rather than illustrates the Prophet. This particular painting depicts the Night Journey (see text), during which Muhammad rode a creature called a Buraq from Earth to heaven and back.

When an historical figure has religious importance, it is difficult to separate fact from myth; to true believers, historical accuracy is less important than dogma. This is certainly the case with Muhammad (c.570-632), the prime mover in the establishment of Islam. For this reason, verifiable details about the life of Muhammad are sketchy. We know that he was born around 570 in Mecca, a city near the coast of the Red Sea in what is now Saudi Arabia. Muhammad's father died several weeks before Muhammad was born, and his mother died when the young boy was only 6 years old. Muhammad went to live with his paternal grandfather, but when the old man died two years later, Muhammad was raised by his paternal uncle, Abu Talib. For the next 40 years, Abu Talib acted as a surrogate father, taking care of Muhammad and lending him support. As a young man, Muhammad was a businessman, managing a caravan that transported goods to Syria. Over time, Muhammad earned a reputation for honesty and kindness and, eventually, he caught the eye of the owner of the caravan, a wealthy, twice-widowed woman named Khadijah.

Although Muhammad was only 25 years old and Khadijah was 40, she had intermediaries propose marriage. Muhammad accepted, and the marriage was long-lasting and successful. Indeed, in Khadijah's lifetime, Muhammad did not take any other brides, which was unusual in a culture where men routinely practiced polygamy. In time, Khadijah bore Muhammad five, six or seven children (depending on which version of Muhammad's life you believe). Unfortunately, all of Muhammad's children but one, a daughter named Fatima, died in his lifetime. The boys, in fact, all died at an early age, an especially devastating tragedy in a patriarchal society. Moreover, of the daughters, only Fatima had children who lived past infancy. Hence, it is only through Fatima that Muhammad had descendents. By the time Muhammad was 40 years old, in the year 610, he was making regular retreats to Mount Hira in order to be alone and to meditate. According to Islamic tradition, on one such trip, Muhammad heard the voice of the angel Gabriel, who spoke to Muhammad with the word of God.

The first message God gave Muhammad was the same message he had given to Abraham in the Old Testament: that there is only one true God, that all other gods are false, and that he (Abraham/Muhammad) must spread the word. From time to time, during the rest of his life, Muhammad received many messages from God, all via Gabriel. These messages revealed many details regarding God's wishes and advice and, eventually, they were written down in the Moslem holy book, the Qur'an. As such, God's revelations to Muhammad form the basis of Islam. Notice the difference between what Moslems believe about Muhammad and what Christians believe about Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus was divine, the actual son of God. Moslems believe that Muhammad was a mortal man, not at all divine. Rather, they see Muhammad as a prophet, in fact, the last and most important of the great prophets (such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus). Thus, it came to be that, in 610, at the age of 40, Muhammad began to preach monotheism. One of the most important verses of the Qur'an (Surah 17:1) leads to an interesting story about Muhammad.

The actual verse (loosely translated) is: "Praise be to Him who took His servant by night from the sacred mosque in Mecca to the most distant mosque, whose environs we did bless, so that we might show him some of our signs, for He is the All-Hearing and All-Seeing One." Islamic tradition embellishes this verse into the miraculous "Night Journey": One night, Muhammad, accompanied by the angel Gabriel, flew on the back of a winged, horse-like creature to Jerusalem to visit the temple that was built by King Solomon (who, by the way, is also considered to be one of the prophets). At the Temple, Muhammad prayed with Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muhammad was then carried up to heaven by Gabriel, where Muhammad met God. Because of this trip, Moslems consider Jerusalem to be the third most holy city, after Mecca and Medina (see below). Within Jerusalem lies one of Islam's most holy sites, the Dome of the Rock, which covers the place where Muhammad is said to have stepped as he began his ascent to heaven.

During the Night Journey, Muhammad was told several tenets that he incorporated into the basis of Islam, for example, that all Moslems should pray five times a day. In 619, Muhammad once again suffered terrible losses. Both his beloved wife, Khadija, and his uncle, Abu Talib, died. In 620, at the age of 50, Muhammad took a new wife, A'isha and, later, he was to take even more wives. During his years of preaching, Muhammad taught that there was only one true God. However, it took a long time for Muhammad to attract followers. During his years of preaching, Muhammad taught that there was only one true God. However, the prevailing religion was polytheistic (many gods), and it took a long time for Muhammad to attract followers. Indeed, for the next several years, Muhammad gained only a few converts but made many enemies. In 622, after discovering a plan to assassinate him, Muhammad fled to the north, from Mecca to the city of Yathrib, now called Medina. Medina, like Mecca, is also in modern day Saudi Arabia.

Ever since that time, Mecca and Medina were the two holiest cites of Islam. Muhammad's flight to Medina is called the "Hegira", and it is considered to be the beginning of the Moslem calendar. For example, the year 2006 A.D. in the secular calendar corresponds to the year 1427 A.H. (after Hegira) in the Moslem calendar. (Note: The Moslem year is based on 12 lunar cycles, a bit over 354 days. For this reason, the Moslem months shift every year with respect to the secular calendar.) In Medina, Muhammad was more successful in converting people to the new religion. Islam flourished, and Muhammad was able to build a theocratic state by combining his religious leadership with political power, a model that would be adopted with great success by later Islamic empires. Indeed, even to this day, devout Moslems believe that there should be no separation between Islam and the political state. Over the next few years, Muhammad enlarged his army and engaged in conflict with Mecca. In 630, Mecca fell to the Muslims.

Strategically, Muhammad ordered a general amnesty for all Meccans, which won their loyalty and, within a short time, Mecca became an Islamic city. In 631, Muhammad made a deal with the local Christians and Jews to bring them under Muslim protection. However, they were required to pay a special tax, called the jizya, that was demanded of all non-Muslims. In 632, Muhammad led the very first pilgrimage to Mecca. However, three months after the pilgrimage, Muhammad unexpectedly became sick and, at the age of 62, he died. At the time of his death, Muhammad was survived by 10 wives and several children. However, as I mentioned earlier, only one child, Fatima, would have children of her own. Since his death, Muhammad has been revered by Moslems as the last of the great prophets. Everything about him  his writing, the myths, and every detail of his life  is also revered. It is common, for example, for Muslims to say or write the words "Peace be unto him" or "(pbuh)" every time Muhammad's name is mentioned. For example.

you might read, "Muhammad (pbuh) grew up in Mecca. Later, Muhammad (pbuh) moved to Medina." An interesting measure of Muhammad's influence is that, today, there are more male children in the world given the name Muhammad than any other name. Web: Muhammad | Article about Muhammad by The Free Dictionary Muhammad | Article about Muhammad by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Muhammad Mecca, Makkah, Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia) Died Muhammad (məhăm`əd) [Arab.,=praised], 570?–632, the name of the Prophet of Islam Islam , [Arab.,=submission to God], world religion founded by the Prophet Muhammad. Founded in the 7th cent., Islam is the youngest of the three monotheistic world religions (with Judaism and Christianity). An adherent to Islam is a Muslim [Arab.,=one who submits]. ..... Click the link for more information. , one of the great figures of history, b. Mecca.

Early Life Muhammad was the son of Abdallah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and his wife Amina, both of the Hashim clan of the dominant Kuraish Kuraish , ancient Bedouin tribe near Mecca to which Muhammad belonged. At one time camel drivers and caravan guides, they became, after acquiring custody of the Kaaba (5th cent.), one of the most powerful tribes in central Arabia and the chief family of Mecca. ..... Click the link for more information. (Quraysh) tribal federation. Muhammad was orphaned soon after birth, and was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. When he was 24, he married Khadija, a wealthy widow and merchant, much his senior; his position in the community became that of a wealthy merchant. Muhammad had no other wife in Khadija's lifetime. Khadija's daughter Fatima was his only child to have issue. Call to Prophecy When he was 40, Muhammad felt himself selected by God to be the Arab prophet of true religion. The Arabs, unlike other nations, had hitherto had no prophet. In the cave of Mt.

Hira, N of Mecca, he had a vision in which he was commanded to preach. Thereafter throughout his life he continued to have revelations, many of which were collected and recorded in the Qur'an Qur'an or Koran [Arab.,=reading, recitation], the sacred book of Islam. Revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad in separate revelations over the major portion of the Prophet's life at Mecca and at Medina, the Qur'an was intended as a recited text, and was not compiled ..... Click the link for more information. . His fundamental teachings were: there is one God; people must in all things submit to Him; in this world nations have been amply punished for rejecting God's prophets, and heaven and hell are waiting for the present generation; the world will come to an end with a great judgment. He included as religious duties frequent prayer and almsgiving, and he forbade usury. Enemies and Converts In his first years Muhammad made few converts but many enemies. His first converts were Khadija, Ali Ali (Ali ibn Abu Talib), 598?–661, 4th caliph (656–61).

The debate over his right to the caliphate caused a major split in Islam into Sunni and Shiite branches, and he is regarded by the Shiites as the first Imam, or leader: Shiite derives from the phrase ..... Click the link for more information. (who became the husband of Fatima), and Abu Bakr Abu Bakr , 573–634, 1st caliph, friend, father-in-law, and successor of Muhammad. He was probably Muhammad's first convert outside the Prophet's family and alone accompanied Muhammad on the Hegira. ..... Click the link for more information. . From about 620, Mecca became actively hostile, since much of its revenues depended on its pagan shrine, the Kaaba Kaaba or Caaba [Arab.,=cube], the central, cubic, stone structure, covered by a black cloth, within the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The sacred nature of the site predates Islam: tradition says that the Kaaba was built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham and the ..... Click the link for more information. , and an attack on the existing Arab religion was an attack on the prosperity of Mecca.

While he was gaining only enemies at home, Muhammad's teaching was faring little better abroad; only at Yathrib did it make any headway, and on Yathrib depended the future of Islam. In the summer of 622 Muhammad fled from Mecca as an attempt was being prepared to murder him, and he escaped in the night from the city and made his way to Yathrib. From this event, the flight, or Hegira Hegira or Hejira [Ar.,=Hijra=breaking off of relations], the departure of the prophet Muhammad from Mecca in Sept., 622. Muhammad was a monotheist and preached against the polytheism of the Meccan religion. ..... Click the link for more information. , of the Prophet (622), the Islamic calendar begins. Muhammad spent the rest of his life at Yathrib, henceforth called Medina Medina , Arabic Medinat an-Nabi [city of the Prophet] or Madinat Rasul Allah [city of the apostle of Allah], city (1993 pop. 608,226), Hejaz, W Saudi Arabia. It is situated c. .....

Click the link for more information. , the City of the Prophet. At Medina he built his model theocratic state and from there ruled his rapidly growing empire. Muhammad's lawgiving at Medina is at least theoretically the law of Islam, and in its evolution over the next 10 years the history of the community at Medina is seen. Medina lies on the caravan route N of Mecca, and the Kuraishites of Mecca could not endure the thought of their outlawed relative taking vengeance on his native city by plundering their caravans. A pitched battle between Muhammad's men and the Meccans occurred at Badr, and the victory of an inferior force from the poorer city over the men of Mecca gave Islam great prestige in SW Arabia. More than a year later the battle of Uhud was fought but with less fortunate results. By this time pagan Arabia had been converted, and the Prophet's missionaries, or legates, were active in the Eastern Empire, in Persia, and in Ethiopia. As he believed firmly in his position as last of the prophets and as successor of Jesus, Muhammad seems at first to have expected that the Jews and Christians would welcome him and accept his revelations, but he was soon disappointed.

Medina had a large Jewish population which controlled most of the wealth of the city, and they steadfastly refused to give their new ruler any kind of religious allegiance. Muhammad, after a long quarrel, appropriated much of their property, and his first actual conquest was the oasis of Khaibar, occupied by the Jews, in 628. The failure of several missions among the Christians made him distrustful of Christians as well as Jews. His renown increased, and in 629 he made a pilgrimage to Mecca without interference. There he won valuable converts, including Amr and Khalid (who had fought him at Uhud). In 630 he marched against Mecca, which fell without a fight. Arabia was won. Muhammad's private life—the fact that he had nine wives—has received a vast, and perhaps disproportionate, amount of attention. His third wife, Aishah Aishah , c.614–678, third and favorite of the nine wives of Muhammad the Prophet. Her father was Abu Bakr, who became first caliph after the Prophet's death.

She was married to the Prophet soon after the Hegira, his only wife that was neither a widow nor a divorcee. ..... Click the link for more information. , was able and devoted; he died in her arms June 8, 632. Legends and Veneration The traditions concerning Muhammad's life, deeds, and sayings are contained in the hadith hadith , a tradition or the collection of the traditions of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, including his sayings and deeds, and his tacit approval of what was said or done in his presence. ..... Click the link for more information. . Islamic dogma stresses his exclusively human nature, while presenting him as infallible on matters of prophecy. He is considered by most Muslims to have been sinless, and is regarded as the ultimate subject of emulation. Many believe that he will intercede for the Muslim community on the day of judgment. Muhammad is probably the most common given name, with variations including the W African Mamadu and the Turkic Mehmet. He was known to medieval Christianity as Mahomet. Bibliography See biographies by T. Andrae (tr. 1936, repr. 1971), W. M.

Watt (1953), M. Hamidullah (1959), M. Rodinson (tr. 1971), M. Lings (1983), K. Armstrong (1992 and 2006), and L. Hazleton (2013); see also A. Schimmel, And Muhammad Is His Messenger (1985). Eighteenth-century Turkish painting of Muhammad pledging daughter Fatimah to her cousin Ali in marriage. The Art Archive/Turkish and Islamic Art Museum Istanbul/Harper Collins Publishers. Muhammad (religion, spiritualism, and occult) Muhammad, founder of Islam, was born in 570 CE in Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia. At that time, Mecca was a commercial center, a cosmopolitan city filled with the hustle and bustle of caravans transporting fabulous wealth from Arabia all the way to Spain in the west and India in the east. It was also a city rich in sacred sites. The people had a vague idea that Abraham had traveled to Mecca with his son Ishmael.

The Qur'an would later describe how the two of them had purified God's house, rebuilding the Kaaba (shrine) that had been destroyed by Noah's flood, but at this time it was a legend known only to a few. The black stone (probably a meteor; see Black Stone), which had fallen from heaven when Earth was cursed following the expulsion from Eden, was here. Even though the world had since experienced fifteen hundred years of ignorance, during which time God had tried in vain to get his unfaithful people to submit to his decrees, Mecca was full of religion. Situated right between two great world civilizations, the Byzantine and the Persian, almost every religion on Earth had been carried here by world travelers. Judea was not far away, and many Jews had fled here following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Damascus, Caesarea, Antioch, and Alexandria were all flourishing Christian centers. Christianity itself had recently been weakened by internal arguments about the nature of God. Christians couldn't seem to agree whether God was a trinity, three natures in one God, or a unity.

Arguments, violent at times, were common when one camel driver would swear by the One, another would swear by the Three, and then both would begin swearing at each other. The fiercely monotheistic Zoroastrianism had its adherents, and many Bedouin people worshiped Allah, "the God," while recognizing many other local and cosmic Jinns (genies) as well. The moon, sun, trees, and sacred springs—like the mysterious well called Zamzam—all had their own spirits. At two special times during the year, all intertribal warfare ceased so that people could make a pilgrimage to Mecca, run back and forth between the two holy mountains, visit the standing stones, and participate in religious festivals. All this is not to say there was any deeply held conviction about translating religion into ethical behavior. The people may have developed some highly sophisticated mathematics and poetry, but life was often violent, robbery was common, and even the most trivial incidents could spark tribal war that would last for generations. The time was ripe for a new religion that would unify the Arabian tribes and bring order out of chaos while satisfying the spiritual hunger of the people.

In the midst of this volatile environment, a man named 'Abd al-Muttalib, who had a number of different wives from different clans, went searching for a bride for one of his sixteen children. For his son 'Abdallah he obtained a woman named Amina. The newlyweds had only one child, and they named him Muhammad. 'Abdallah died, probably during Amina's pregnancy, so mother and child were left impoverished. Following the custom at such times, the child was given to a Bedouin clan so he could be introduced to desert culture. Muhammad was reunited with his mother when he was five years old, but she died soon after, so he grew up with his grandfather's people. It must have been an exciting life for a young child. At least once he traveled with a caravan all the way to Syria. After that it was only natural for Muhammad to find employment in the caravan trade. He soon began to work for a wealthy widow who owned her own caravan "company," and it was not long before he so impressed his new boss that she married him. He was twenty-five years old and just starting out.

She was fifteen years older than he, but she soon bore him six children, two of whom died in infancy. Muhammad was now a respected member of Meccan society and might have remained a wealthy caravan merchant all his life were he not given to deep, spiritual contemplation. His wife's money allowed him the luxury of time to ponder religion and spirituality. He took to going out alone into the hills to spend hours, and then days, seeking God in the solitude of a cave on Mount Hira. On one of those trips his prayers were answered in a way even he could never have imagined. And the world has never been the same. Muslim tradition later would reveal that God had had his hand on this man from the very beginning. Mystical stories surround his conception and birth. 'Abdallah, it was recounted, had "a white blaze" between his eyes when he "went in to Amina," but it disappeared when Muhammad was conceived. The light of prophecy had been passed to the next generation. During Amina's pregnancy, a light shone from her that was so bright it could be seen as far away as Syria. At Muhammad's birth, two angels came to open his breast and clean his heart.

They proceeded to put him on scales, balancing his life against one, then ten, then a hundred other men. Finally one angel cried out, "Leave him alone, for by God, if you weighed him against all his people he would outweigh them." A Christian monk named Bahira was said to have traveled to see him, discovering in the process that a "seal of prophecy" rested between Muhammad's shoulders. These stories may sound fantastic, but they are no different from medieval stories surrounding the early years of Jesus, the Buddha, and Moses. They are typical of the legends that grow up around heroes. Whether or not any of these things really happened, the story of Muhammad is spectacular enough to stand on its own. He was a deeply spiritual man who cared about God and understood that something needed to be done about the religious chaos of his times. Only a few men in history have been set apart to begin world religions or teach new ways of responding to the divine. Muhammad was one of them. The Qur'an Revealed When Muhammad was about forty years old he returned home late one night during the month of Ramadan. He had been visiting his cave of meditation and was deeply moved.

He is reported to have said to his wife, "Cover me, Khadija, cover me!" He had had a vision. The angel Gabriel had appeared to him. He came to me while I was asleep, with a coverlet of brocade whereon was some writing, and said, "Read!" I said, "What shall I read?" He pressed me with it so tightly that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said, "Read!" I said, "What shall I read?" He pressed me with it so tightly that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said, "Read!" I said, "What shall I read?" He pressed me with it the third time so that I thought it was death and said, "Read!" I said, "What shall I read?"—and this I said only to deliver myself from him, lest he should do the same to me again. He said, "Read in the name of thy Lord who created, Who created man of blood coagulated. Read!

Thy Lord is most beneficent, Who taught by the pen, Taught that which they knew not unto men." (Qur'an 96:1-5) Throughout Muhammad's life he would continue to have these revelations. He would memorize them and later dictate them to a scribe who wrote them on parchment, stone, leaves, or anything else handy. Collected after Muhammad's death and bound in one volume, the world knows them today as the Qur'an, the holy scripture of Islam. This kind of inspired writing is called oracular scripture. The words are understood by believers to come directly from the lips of God. Such is the holiness of such transcription that the words are never to be changed, even through translation. Many say they have read the Qur'an, but, according to Muslim tradition, unless they have read it in the original Arabic, they have not read it. All they have read is a translation. All quotations that claim to come from the Qur'an are not really holy scripture because they are translations, not the original as dictated from God through his angel.

The Early Years As Muhammad grew in spiritual insight, it was only natural that he would try to teach his Meccan neighbors what he felt was Allah's message for them. But they refused to accept his teachings. His sermons were ridiculed. Although his wife, Khadija, believed him, along with his friend Abu Bakr, his cousin Ali, and Zayd, a freed slave, no one else would listen. After three years, the great world religion that was to become known as Islam had gained a total of about forty followers. God had told Muhammad to preach ethical behavior. The people of Mecca were to give up the worship of false gods. They were to abstain from promiscuity and lust. They were to live virtuous lives, treating each other with fairness and kindness. The reaction in the streets of Mecca was easy to predict. Such a manner of life would be bad for business. A lot of wealthy people had a lifestyle they enjoyed. They liked lust. Promiscuity was fun. Kindness was for wimps. Warfare was wholesome desert behavior. Muhammad? Who was he to try changing a way of life they had lived for centuries? Muhammad preached at fairs and public meetings.

He endured the taunts and jeers, eventually having to dodge rocks and stones thrown at him in anger. No one listened to him. The people wanted proof. They wanted to see a miracle. "You have seen a miracle," was Muhammad's reply. "It is the Holy Qur'an." "Not enough!" growled the crowds. And he was threatened with even more violence. They even tried to buy him off, but Muhammad insisted he wanted neither silver nor gold nor power. He just wanted them to repent and submit to the will of Allah. In the midst of all this Muhammad continued to receive visions. One night Gabriel came to him, riding the magnificent steed al-Buraq, "white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule." Muhammad was taken to the "farthest mosque," and on to the seventh heaven wherein dwelt God himself. The first six levels were guarded by tested and famous personages such as Adam, Aaron, Moses, and Abraham. This mystical experience has become, for Muslims, a metaphor or model for the experience of the spiritual presence of God. Islam Begins Finally, in 622 CE, Muhammad realized he had to leave Mecca and establish a base somewhere else.

The oasis town of Medina, about two hundred miles north of Mecca, had expressed an interest in the Prophet's message. On September 24, 622, Muhammad made his Hijrah, his pilgrimage, from Mecca to Medina. This is the date Islam is said to have begun, the first day of the Muslim calendar and the date from which all other time is measured. Muslims mark their calendar years AH, anno hegirae, "after the Hijrah." Those who migrated with Muhammad were known as Muhajirun, the "emigrants." Those from Medina who received him were the Ansar, the "helpers." Together, they formed the community of Islam, the Ummah. But there were those, even in Medina, who refused to accept Muhammad. The Jewish community understandably proved hostile to a new prophet. So most of the Jews were eventually expelled from the town. Some people accepted Muhammad's message only superficially and later came to be known as the party of the Hypocrites. Even within the faith there were disagreements. Some Ansar thought they were being treated less honorably than the Muhajirun. Muhammad, however, continued to receive revelations, and Islam began to thrive.

In only two years Muhammad felt the time was ripe to win Mecca to the true faith. The battle favored the Meccan army. Outnumbered three to one, the Islamic cause seemed to be lost. But the Prophet had received a message: Assuredly God will defend those who believe; surely God loves not any ungrateful traitor. Leave is given to those who fight because they were wronged—surely God is able to help them—who were expelled from their habitations without right, except that they say "Our Lord is God." (Qur'an 22:38-40) In the battle of Badr, God gave the Medina Muslims victory. This was the turning point for the Muslim community, the proof that Allah would carry out his divine will through Muhammad and the new faith of Islam. The Arabian tribes were finally united. The jihad, the holy war against apostasy, had begun. Damascus fell in 635, Persia a year later, Jerusalem two years after that. Egypt, Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, India, even some of China soon followed.

Europe remained free of Muslim control only because Charles Martel turned back the Islamic "desert riders" at the famous battle of Tours in 732. Muhammad, meanwhile, continued to lead the new religion through moral example and extremely persuasive preaching. Emissaries were sent everywhere in the known world. "People of the Book," Jews and Christians, were asked to submit to the God they had ignored. The Holy Prophet's message was clear. There was to be no warfare, no killing, unless people simply refused to obey the commands of Allah. Only then was warfare justified. Muhammad himself destroyed the idols of Mecca. His armies did the rest. Allah finally received the respect he deserved. In March of 632 Muhammad made his final pilgrimage to Mecca. The city had by now been purged of all idolatry. Many of the ancient practices were now given new meaning. The people still circled the Kaaba seven times. They still kissed the Black Stone and ran back and forth between the two hills. They still threw pebbles at the stone pillars and drank from the sacred well of Zamzam. But these activities no longer were considered pagan rituals. They were now the sacred response of submission to Allah.

Shortly after returning to Medina, Muhammad became sick. Some say it was an aftereffect of an earlier assassination attempt by outraged members of the Jewish community. Others dismiss such a claim. Whatever it was, Muhammad recognized he was dying. In what proved to be his final sermon, he said: O men, the fire is kindled, and rebellions come like the darkness of night. By God, you can lay nothing to my charge. I allow only what the Qur'an allows and forbid only what the Qur'an forbids. A few hours later, in June of 632 (AH 10), he died in the arms of his young wife, 'Aisha. A mosque was later built to mark the place of his burial. The people naturally were confused. A messianic rumor began to circulate that somehow he would come back to life and return to lead the Muslim movement. But Abu Bakr put such talk to rest. At Muhammad's funeral service, according to Robert S. Ellwood and Barbara A.

McGraw in Many Peoples, Many Faiths, Abu Bakr cried out to the faithful: O ye people, if anyone worships Muhammad, Muhammad is dead, but if anyone worships Allah, he [Allah] is alive and dies not! Muhammad was not divine or a son of God. He was simply a prophet. In this sense he is a model for every Muslim. He lived his life in submission to Allah, as all Muslims are called to do. He considered his religion to be the continuing evolution of Judaism into Christianity, and Christianity into Islam. During his final pilgrimage to Mecca he summed up his philosophy and outlined a path into the future: I have left you with something which if you hold fast to it you will never fall into error—a plain indication, the book of God and the practice of His prophet, so give good heed to what I say. Know that every Muslim is a Muslim's brother, and that the Muslims are brethren. Muhammad (also Mohammed; in European writings, often Mahomet or Mahomed). Born circa 570, in Mecca; died June 8, 632, in Medina. Religious leader and political figure; founder of Islam.

Contemporary sources for the life of Muhammad have not survived; the first biography was compiled by ibn Ishaq in the eighth century. A member of the aristocratic but impoverished Banu-Hashim family of the Quraysh clan, Muhammad was orphaned at an early age. As a shepherd and later as a merchant’s assistant, Muhammad became acquainted with Judeo-Christian monotheism and other religious and political doctrines both in Arabia and abroad. Marriage to Khadija, a wealthy Meccan woman of the merchant class, enabled Muhammad to devote himself exclusively to religious and ethical problems. According to legend, around 609 or 610, Muhammad, who frequently spent many hours in meditation on Mount Hira, near Mecca, was visited one night in the month of Ramadan by the angel Gabriel, who revealed to him certain parts of a book, called Koran in Arabic, that was kept in heaven under the throne of Allah. In the name of Allah, Gabriel charged Muhammad with conveying the commands of the Almighty to his fellow countrymen. The sympathetic support of his family and friends, particularly Khadija, encouraged Muhammad’s fanatical conviction of the truth of his “god-given” teachings.

He rejected the old pagan beliefs and preached about a single all-powerful god. The doctrine of strict monotheism, the universality of the new faith, which proclaimed the equality of all its followers irrespective of social origin or clan membership, and Muhammad’s exceptional political and organizational abilities—all found a favorable response among those representatives of Meccan society, primarily from the middle strata, who sought to unite and strengthen Arabia. Initially the Meccan merchant oligarchy opposed his teachings, and Muhammad and his followers were forced to take refuge in Yathrib, later called Medina. The day of their flight, usually considered to be Sept. 22, 622, is called the Hegira. In 630 and 631 the Muslims, led by Muhammad, subjugated Mecca and subsequently a large number of other regions in Arabia. Muhammad, who was both a religious and political leader, became the head of a new Islamic theocratic state. His tomb in Medina has become the second most important Islamic shrine and place of pilgrimage after the Kabba in Mecca. M. A.

B ATUNSKII The Dome of the Rock is, according to Islamic tradition, where the Prophet Muhammed was taken to Jerusalem by the angel Gabriel in his “Night Journey” dream. Muhammad (dreams) According to tradition, Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, was born in 570 C.E., the same year Mecca was attacked by the army of Abrahah, ruler of Yemen. At the age of forty, during the holy month of Ramadan while he was sleeping in a mountaintop cave between the hills of Safa and Meeva, near Mecca, he received the first revelation of the Qur’an. By that time, he had already experienced visions of isolated luminous and sonorous impressions that he described as “the breaking of the light of dawn.” He himself was never able to translate some of those images, which appear as isolated letters placed at the beginning of several parts of the Qur’an. In the “Lailatal-Miraj” or (“Night Journey”), the dream in which Muhammad’s religious mission as well as portions of the Qur’an were revealed, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, leading Elboraq, a half-human silver mare.

Riding Elboraq, and led by Gabriel, Muhammad traveled to Jerusalem in an instant, and there he conversed and prayed with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Continuing on his journey, he traversed the seven celestial spheres. Each sphere is infused with its own color, the esoteric meanings of which relate to the seven levels of existence: material, vegetable, animal, human, and three more beyond ordinary human nature. Then he reached across the ocean of white light, and, finally, he approached God. According to some versions of the story, Muhammad also descended to the depths of the earth. Belief in the inspiration given to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel during this dream is a fundamental element of Islam. According to Muhammad, he is the last prophet placed at the end of a long line of precursors, who had been inspired in the same way. Their inspiration, to which Islamic theology gives the name revelation, was destined to be made public, and such inspiration ceased after Muhammad’s death. Muhammad showed considerable concern for dreams, and it is said that each morning after prayers he asked his assembled followers what they had dreamed, interpreted the most significant dreams, and reported his own.

By doing this, he believed he could glean from the dreams any messages from God. The principles of dream interpretation that Muhammad used were common to those of other Near Eastern religions, and much importance was given to truthful telling of dreams, which was best done immediately on waking, as well as to the quality of the dream interpreter. According to Muhammad, a dream is a conversation between humanity and God. Muhammad

Question: What name is given to Mohammed's flight from Mecca to Medina?
Answer: The Hegira